A self-taught musician, McCartney is proficient on bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums. He is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing (mainly playing with a plectrum), his versatile and wide tenor vocal range (spanning over four octaves), and his eclecticism (exploring styles ranging from pre-rock and roll pop to classical and electronica). McCartney began his career as a member of the Quarrymen in 1957, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Starting with the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, he gradually became the Beatles' de facto leader, providing the creative impetus for most of their music and film projects. His Beatles songs "And I Love Her" (1964), "Yesterday" (1965), "Eleanor Rigby" (1966) and "Blackbird" (1968) rank among the most covered songs in history.
In 1970, McCartney debuted as a solo artist with the album McCartney. Throughout the 1970s, he led Wings, one of the most successful bands of the decade, with more than a dozen international top 10 singles and albums. McCartney resumed his solo career in 1980. Since 1989, he has toured consistently as a solo artist. In 1993, he formed the music duo the Fireman with Youth of Killing Joke. Beyond music, he has taken part in projects to promote international charities related to such subjects as animal rights, seal hunting, land mines, vegetarianism, poverty, and music education.
McCartney is one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. He has written or co-written 32 songs that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2009, had sales of 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States. His honours include two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999), 18 Grammy Awards, an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, and a knighthood in 1997 for services to music. As of 2020, he is also one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated fortune of £800 million.
Best known for primarily using a plectrum or pick, McCartney occasionally plays fingerstyle. He was strongly influenced by Motown artists, in particular James Jamerson, whom McCartney called a hero for his melodic style. He was also influenced by Brian Wilson, as he commented: "because he went to very unusual places". Another favourite bassist of his is Stanley Clarke. McCartney's skill as a bass player has been acknowledged by bassists including Sting, Dr. Dre bassist Mike Elizondo, and Colin Moulding of XTC.
During McCartney's early years with the Beatles, he primarily used a Höfner 500/1 bass, although from 1965, he favoured his Rickenbacker 4001S for recording. While typically using Vox amplifiers, by 1967, he had also begun using a Fender Bassman for amplification. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he used a Wal 5-String, which he said made him play more thick-sounding basslines, in contrast to the much lighter Höfner, which inspired him to play more sensitively, something he considers fundamental to his playing style. He changed back to the Höfner around 1990 for that reason. He uses Mesa Boogie bass amplifiers while performing live.
McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Beatles and again as a solo artist in 1999. In 1979, the Guinness Book of World Records recognised McCartney as the "most honored composer and performer in music", with 60 gold discs (43 with the Beatles, 17 with Wings) and, as a member of the Beatles, sales of over 100 million singles and 100 million albums, and as the "most successful song writer", he wrote jointly or solo 43 songs which sold one million or more records between 1962 and 1978. In 2009, Guinness World Records again recognised McCartney as the "most successful songwriter" having written or co-written 188 charted records in the United Kingdom, of which 91 reached the top 10 and 33 made it to number one.
McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: twenty with the Beatles; seven solo or with Wings; one as a co-writer of "A World Without Love", a number-one single for Peter and Gordon; one as a co-writer on Elton John's cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"; one as a co-writer on Stars on 45's "Medley"; one as a co-writer with Michael Jackson on "Say Say Say"; and one as writer on "Ebony and Ivory" performed with Stevie Wonder. As of 2009, he has 15.5 million RIAA certified units in the United States as a solo artist plus another 10 million with Wings.
Credited with more number ones in the UK than any other artist, McCartney has participated in twenty-four chart topping singles: seventeen with the Beatles, one solo, and one each with Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Band Aid 20 and "The Christians et al." He is the only artist to reach the UK number one as a soloist ("Pipes of Peace"), duo ("Ebony and Ivory" with Wonder), trio ("Mull of Kintyre", Wings), quartet ("She Loves You", the Beatles), quintet ("Get Back", the Beatles with Billy Preston) and as part of a musical ensemble for charity (Ferry Aid).
"Yesterday" is one of the most covered songs in history with more than 2,200 recorded versions, and according to the BBC, "the track is the only one by a UK writer to have been aired more than seven million times on American TV and radio and is third in the all-time list ... [and] is the most played song by a British writer [last] century in the US". His 1968 Beatles composition "Hey Jude" achieved the highest sales in the UK that year and topped the US charts for nine weeks, which is longer than any other Beatles single. It was also the longest single released by the band and, at seven minutes eleven seconds, was at that time the longest number one. "Hey Jude" is the best-selling Beatles single, achieving sales of over five million copies soon after its release.
In July 2005, McCartney's performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with U2 at Live 8 became the fastest-released single in history. Available within forty-five minutes of its recording, hours later it had achieved number one on the UK Official Download Chart.
In December 2020, the release of his album McCartney III and its subsequent charting at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 earned McCartney the feat of being the first artist to have a new album in the top two chart positions in each of the last six decades.
Keep Coming Back To Love
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Admit into something new.
Doing unimportant things,
All the foolish things that other people do.
Ev'rything I'm trying
Doesn't feel quite right.
And I can't help wondering
Why I ever let you out of my sight.
Yes, I keep coming back to love.
Must I keep moving along this track?
I might get restless,
Won't you, please, hold me back?
Won't you, please, hold me back?
Because I keep coming back to love.
Ev'rywhere I get to, (oo-oo-oo)
I'm always on my own.
Tryin' to solve a mystery,
And if it was up to me I wouldn't be alone.
Anytime I miss you, (ah-ah)
The feeling is so strong.
But the road I'm travelling
Is filled with echoes of your sweet song.
So I keep coming back to love, wo-oh,
Yes, I keep coming back to love, wo-oh.
Must I keep moving along this track?
If I get restless,
Won't you, please, hold me back?
Won't you, please, hold me back?
Because I keep coming back to love.
Oo -
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to love -
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Keep coming, keep coming back to.
The lyrics to Paul McCartney's song "Keep Coming Back to Love" explore themes of love and the difficulties of moving on from a past relationship. McCartney sings about how he cannot help but return to the love he once shared with someone, despite the fact that he may be trying to move on and live his life. He describes how even the simplest things that he does, such as engaging in meaningless activities or trying new things, remind him of what he once had with this person.
The chorus of the song, with its upbeat rhythm and catchy melody, emphasizes the idea that McCartney cannot escape his love for this person. He wonders if he will ever be able to break away from this pattern of continually returning to love or if he is simply destined to keep coming back to it. Through his words, McCartney conveys the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of emotions that he cannot control.
Overall, "Keep Coming Back to Love" is a poignant meditation on the power of love and the difficulty of letting go. McCartney's evocative lyrics and memorable melody make for a song that is both relatable and moving.
Line by Line Meaning
Ev'ry time I see you,
Every time I lay my eyes on you,
Admit into something new.
I feel like I am discovering something new and exciting when I see you.
Doing unimportant things,
I find myself doing trivial things, just like any other person, when I am with you.
All the foolish things that other people do.
I am just as susceptible to making silly mistakes as anyone else when I am in your presence.
Ev'rything I'm trying
Despite my best efforts,
Doesn't feel quite right.
I have a feeling that what I am doing is not really in line with what I should be doing.
And I can't help wondering
I cannot help but wonder,
Why I ever let you out of my sight.
Why I ever let you slip away from me.
So I keep coming back to love, wo-oh,
That is why I keep coming back to the idea of love,
Yes, I keep coming back to love.
I can't seem to shake off the notion of love.
Must I keep moving along this track?
Do I have to keep moving forward along this path?
I might get restless,
I fear that I may become too restless.
Won't you, please, hold me back?
Can't you please help me stay put?
Because I keep coming back to love.
I am afraid that I cannot stop thinking about love.
Ev'rywhere I get to, (oo-oo-oo)
No matter where I go,
I'm always on my own.
I end up feeling lonely and alone.
Tryin' to solve a mystery,
I am attempting to unravel a mystery,
And if it was up to me I wouldn't be alone.
But if it were up to me, I would never be alone.
Anytime I miss you, (ah-ah)
Whenever I start to miss you,
The feeling is so strong.
The emotions are incredibly intense.
But the road I'm travelling
Unfortunately, the path I am on
Is filled with echoes of your sweet song.
Seems to be filled with reminders of your presence and influence.
Oo -
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
I cannot help but return to the idea of
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Love, and keep returning to it,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Again and again,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
I continue to come back to
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Love and cannot escape its allure.
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
I am inexorably drawn to the idea of
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Love, and cannot seem to shake it off.
Keep coming, keep coming back to love -
I cannot help but keep returning to the notion of love.
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
I never really leave the idea of
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Love and keep coming back to it,
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
Over and over again.
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
I return again and again to
Keep coming, keep coming back to,
The concept of love, and cannot seem to forget it.
Keep coming, keep coming back to.
And so I continue to return again and again.
Contributed by Chase I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andy McGowan
Hope they make an archive release of these songs
D G
This is an awesome song !, deserve much more credits.
day tripper
Such a great song.
JulianLennon1
This is the band I miss the most...Wonder what those guys are up to these days.. Very much liked your tagging on this video. Rather informative! Thank you.
Andres Biasoli
Yeah, totally agree with you, even though Paul likes his current band more. I think Hamish and Robbie were special and brought a magic feeling to it.
Ed Prenga
Always loved this & other OFF THE ALBUM songs ( on all his albums). OFF THE GROUND is still my 2nd fab album of Paul's ever. BOTR (1st).
Rosa Rubiginosa
Fantastic song! Just love it! Go Hamish Go Macca! Ahhhh, when I saw Macca in concert for the first time, it was the New World tour and Hamish was there. Great memory!
Tony Hempfer
Great job putting this together.
acoronab
Something in the line of Steely Dan. Suits him well. I like the chords. Way to go
Rosa Rubiginosa
Wonderful! Just wonderful